Parkinson: weight gain after deep brain stimulation

A SISSA study unveils the causes

It was already known that people affected by Parkinson’s disease, when subjected to deep brain stimulation, gained weight, but it was less clear why that was so. Thanks to new SISSA research, it has been realized that the weight gain after implant has a multifactorial origin. The study, published on the scientific journal Cortex, monitored for the first time a group of patients before and after the intervention, assessing cognitive, psychological and behavioural aspects. The results show that weight gain is associated with an increased desire for food and level of impulsiveness, as well as with the duration of the disease and the reduction of pharmacological treatment, thereby providing important elements for preventative purposes.